South Whidbey Record

Gino Lucchetti serenades Flay Wahl, the new owner of a Fiat she won at the Northwest Language Academy gala. / Photo courtesy of Northwest Language Academy

The Northwest Language Academy and Cultural Center held its first gala fundraiser Saturday, Oct. 13 at Freeland Hall. The event was sold out and then some, according to a press release.

After the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed an Italian repast prepared by Chef Jacob Wiener of Seattle’s Blackboard Bistro and sampled various types of Italian wine. Singers Gino Lucchetti, Regina Thomas and Victoria Chaussee of the Puget Sound Concert Opera gave a rousing performance and NWLA Director Josette Hendrix showed a documentary about the organization’s past and future goals to a standing ovation from the crowd.

There were both live and silent auctions held with auctioneer Craig Weiner presiding, in which guests bid on local art, vacations and other items that were donated by the community. This raised a significant sum for NWLA’s scholarship fund, every penny of which will go toward allowing low-income children to attend summer camp.

Toward the end of the night, the drawing was held for NWLA’s Fiat 500 Raffle, which had been ongoing since July 4. The prize went to Flay Wahl, a longtime Langley resident and now the proud owner of a spiffy new Italian car, which islanders will no doubt soon recognize on the streets.

While there were no doubt some broken hearts in the crowd, everyone was happy for Wahl, who bought just a single lucky ticket, and celebrated that a local lady had “done good,” according to the press release.

Wahl claimed her prize as Lucchetti serenaded her to the tune of Puccini’s aria “Nessun dorma” (“None Shall Sleep”), which seemed the perfect choice, as guests were far from eager to leave the event for bed, and the revelry continued late into the night.

NWLA is grateful for and humbled by the generosity and support of its community and gives special thanks to the staff, volunteers and friends who gave their time to help the event run smoothly, according to a press release.